MGTO and IAM jointly organize the “Seminar on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene”
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) jointly organized the “Seminar on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene” – special session for merchants accredited by the Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme (QTSAS), to raise pertinent businesses’ concern about food safety as well as their awareness on prevention against COVID-19 and food safety among other related aspects, so that visitors can enjoy a safe travel experience in Macao.
Jointly organized by MGTO and IAM as well as co-organized by eight supporting entities of QTSAS, the Seminar took place at World Trade Center Macau today (8 June). The attending guests include MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong; Head of Department of Food Safety of IAM, Cheong Kuai Tat; President of the Executive Committee of the Consumer Council, Wong Hon Neng; Head of Training and Quality Management Department of MGTO, Doris Leong; Coordinator for Culinary Arts Management Programme at Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Ng Yen Nee; President of the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macau, Chan Chak Mo; Chairman of Travel Industry Council of Macau, Andy Wu; Chair of Macau Hotel Association, Jocelyn Wong; President of the Association of Macau Small and Medium Enterprises of Catering, Vincent Ieong; Vice Director of Macau Travel Agency Association, Daisy Lei, and Deputy Chairman of Association of Macao Tourist Agents, Tang Ka Man, among other personages.
MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong remarked that in face of the new prospects and challenges, Macao keeps pushing forward its work as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy as planned, and this glamorous calling card of the city is grounded upon food safety significantly. By organizing the Seminar, Macao works towards deeper integration across the fields of “tourism + gastronomy” and enhancing its profile as a healthy, safe and quality destination. The city seeks to draw visitors through gastronomy and revive the travel market, in turn steering catering and other industries forward through tourism as a greater enhancer.
The target audience of the Seminar include travel agencies, catering and retail businesses accredited by QTSAS. The Seminar attracted enthusiastic applicants and was fully signed up earlier ago for a quota of about 200. The Seminar rigorously followed the pandemic prevention guidelines issued by Health Bureau. Participants were required to wear masks throughout the Seminar, have their temperature checked and present Macau health code of the day upon entry.
During the Seminar, representatives of IAM delivered respective talks on the topics of “food safety, hygiene and operation” and “environmental hygiene”. The Seminar also elaborated on work of regular control and prevention against the pandemic, things to take note during the typhoon season and the required proper methods for non-catering businesses to handle their solid waste produced, among other aspects, followed by related discussions with industry participants.
MGTO continues to organize training sessions, seminars and workshops tailored for tourism and related industry professionals to encourage and facilitate professional enhancement, leading to an overall upgrade of service quality and work productivity in the tourism industry, in parallel with the city’s goal to become a world centre of tourism and leisure.
From the start of 2021 up to present, the Office has organized different themed training sessions, seminars and workshops for tourism industry professionals, engaging over 360 participants. Furthermore, MGTO strives to widen the diversity of online learning elements and encourage online self-learning. The online learning programs have engaged over 9,300 views this year.
